Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Sneaky e


Sneaky e is on the loose and we are trying to find him in our class. Our class has learned that if a CVC word (not) has an e on the end (note), the e makes the vowel say it's name.

Help your child say these words:
kite    rose       made    make     rope     mane    vine     slime   shine    slide

tube   Chase    home     tape      wave    name    note     bite     hope    globe


Listen to these great songs:
Super E
Silent E



Sunday, April 14, 2013

Eric Carle Author Study


We started our Eric Carle author study and my kids love it! Every day we go in our "book clubs" to discuss our books. We have three book clubs with 6 students in each of them. They each have a different book to discuss. Book clubs are such a great way for students to use accountable talk. I love to hear what they discuss about their book. After they talk with their book club partners they come in front of the class and share one new thing they learned about Eric Carle books.

If you watch the clip, you can hear one partner telling his friend what a fin is. How cute!!


Functional Writing-How to


Functional writing in kindergarten is my absolute favorite...although it may be a little pricey at times. Last week, we learned how to blow a bubble using gum, make lemonade, and catch a star. My favorite thing to do is to show my students the materials first and ask them what they think we are going to be doing. I asked my class how to blow a bubble using gum and the first thing they said was to put it in my mouth. I put the gum still in the wrapper in my mouth. It is really great for them to see misconceptions to help them really think about all of the steps. This week we are going to learn how to make alligator pie, fly a kite, blow a bubble using bubbles, and plant seeds. Below you will find a few ideas I've used in our classroom. Enjoy!

 How to Catch a Star
Such a great story to read for functional writing! Make sure to check it out from your local Public Library. 

Our bulletin board...come check it out!

How cute is this? First I would get a parent and some wings. Next I would fly up to the sky. Last I would catch the star. 

Oh, how I love their imaginations! First I would get 100 balloons. Next I would float to the sky. Last I would catch the star. 
How to Blow a Bubble

How to Fly a Kite






Tuesday, April 9, 2013

4th nine weeks expectations


Merrill Road Elementary School
Fourth Quarter Expectations for Kindergarten
Based upon the Common Core State Standards
2012-2013

Communications
Reading
  • Names capital letters
  • Names lowercase letters
  • Makes sounds for capital letters
  • Makes sounds for lowercase letters
  • Identifies initial sounds in words
  • Identifies medial (middle) sounds in words
  • Identifies ending sounds in words
  • Add and substitute individual sounds in words to make new words
  • Associates the long and short sounds with common spellings for vowels
  • Blend and segment one syllable words
  • Reads sight words without hesitation:                                                                                                                                   I, see, a, the, can, we, you, my, like, to, and, it, is, play, on, in, me, yes, no, go, at, am, an, she, he, for, have, here, said, are, come
  • Reads short vowel CVC words
  • Produces rhyming words
  • Actively engages in group reading activities with purpose and understanding
  • Uses reading strategies effectively
Writing
(General)
  • Participates in shared writing projects
  • Writes capital and lowercase letters with correct size and form
  • Uses phonetic spelling
  • Writing shows evidence of spacing
Functional Writing
  • Generates own functional topic
  • Writes sequential steps for a “How to” piece
  • Includes a detailed picture that supports the topic
Response to Literature Writing
  • Generates a response to a student-selected book
  • Writes a response which is focused on the book
  • Retells story OR gives an opinion on the book with backup reasoning
  • Includes a detailed picture that supports the response
Speaking and Listening
  • Confirms understanding of a text read aloud by answering questions about key details
  • Describes familiar people, places, things, and events
  • Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories
Mathematics
  • Counts orally up to 100
  • Names numerals 0-20
  • Counts by tens up to 100
  • Counts forward from a given number
  • Matches numerals with groups of objects, 0-20
  • Given a number, 0-20, count out that many objects
  • Composes and decomposes numbers, 11-19, into ten ones and some more ones
  • Writes numerals 0-20 with correct size and form
  • Represent addition and subtraction, using multiple strategies, with equations up to 10
  • Solve addition and subtraction word problems by using objects or drawings to represent the problem
  • Decompose numbers up to 10 into two groups, in multiple ways
  • Find the missing addend in equations with sums up to 10
  • Fluently add and subtract within 5

Social Growth & Development
  • Follows class rules
  • Respects the rights of others
  • Uses acceptable work habits
  • Takes care of personal and school property
  • Works well in cooperative group activities
  • Listens to and follows directions

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Field Trip

Our field trip was canceled due to rain. The new date will be May 14th. 

Monday, April 1, 2013

Spring Break


I hope you all had a wonderful spring break!! I can't wait to hear all about it. My husband and I went to Dubai to visit my family. It was absolutely beautiful and such an amazing experience. Enjoy the pictures!